ChAmpionShipS mediA GUide - USGA

4 Copa de las AmericasCopa de lasAmericasThe USA claimed its second consecutive Copa de las Americasoverall championship with a 72-hole total of 10-over-par 1158to win by 12 strokes over host Argentina at Olivos Golf Club inBuenos Aires, Argentina. Canada and Colombia finished tiedfor third at 1184.USA Wins the 2010 ChampionshipIn the overall competition, Argentina was able to narrow a14-stroke USA third-round lead to 10 strokes but finished at1170 with a quartet of junior players, 15-year-olds VictoriaTanco and Manuela Carbajo Re and 17-year-olds EmilianoGrillo and Tomas Cocha.“The team was patient and focused,” said USA Captain SteveSmyers. “They didn’t get ahead of themselves. It’s fun to watchthe team bond together and interact with each other so well.They are serious about it. They are dedicated.”According to Smyers, the second round served as the keymoment when his team managed a 22-stroke turnaround onthe 18-hole leaders from Argentina. It helped the fourthplaceUSA catapult from a 10-stroke deficit to a 12-strokelead.“We turned it around in the second round,” said Smyers. “Andwe got a tremendous momentum boost by keeping the lead inthe third round.”The USA, which swept the competition categories in Canadain 2007, also won the women’s team competition, with arecord-low score of 583. Argentina won the men’s competition.“Winning as a team is so good,” said the USA’s Jennifer Song,who won the 2009 U.S. Women’s Amateur and the U.S.Women’s Amateur Public Links. “You can never be happierthan winning as a team. It takes so much effort.”“We got out of the general tournament with those bad roundson the second day,” said Argentine Captain Miguel Leeson.“Emiliano had a great tournament. The USA was just steadyand it was very difficult to get it back against those players.”Canada had won of the two of the past three Copa competitions.In the men’s event, Argentina and the USA entered the finalday tied for the lead. The Argentines (570) pulled ahead forthe gold medal over the USA (575) and Canada (578) in secondand third place, respectively.In the women’s competition, the USA was led by a strong final36 holes from Song, who was the low amateur at the 2009U.S. Women’s Open. She posted rounds of 68-72 in the finaltwo days. At 583, the Americans were ahead of Colombia(593) and Argentina (600), respectively.The low individual scorers were Argentina’s Grillo for the menat 7-under-par 279, and Andrea Jun, of Paraguay, and JulianaMurcia, of Colombia, for the women at 1-over-par 289.For the USA, Song, Nathan Smith and Peter Uihlein — the lattertwo were members of the 2009 USA Walker Cup Team —each shot 72; Jessica Korda added a 75.